What Mary doesn't know,could hurt everyone
by rhrocks
Summary: Witnesses test Mary's patience, but after the handful of secrets they keep from Mary patience is not the only thing that could be lost. Please read and review, story was edited because there were errors with the spacing.Thanks to Mila for helping me
1. Missing?

Stan peered out of his office door and lifted his hand slightly in the air, motioning to Mary, who was busy bickering with Marshall about the purpose of life. Mary looked over at Stan leaning on the frame of his office door with his arms crossed. Mary ignored Stan, and decided to finish her argument with Marshall first.

"Mary! I need to see you in my office," Stan interrupted.

Mary cracked a smile at Marshall. "I am not finished with this yet. Don't worry I'll be back," she said walking away. Mary followed Stan and sat down in a chair across in front of him. "What did I do this time?" she asked him.

"You haven't done anything, I just got off the phone with the Grady's. I think we may have a security breach." The look on his face was grim.

"What do you mean?"

"The girls haven't been home in a few days; no one has heard from them since Monday."

"Are you kidding me? I can't believe this. Two minors, not to mention the fact that they are my witnesses, go missing and no one called me?"

"Mary, I just got the call about two minutes ago-" Before Stan could finish, Mary stormed out of the office, and out the front door towards the elevator.

Marshal looked at Stan, confused.

"What's her problem?" Marshall asked.

"Missing witnesses, she should be calling you in a minute. Go ahead and meet her at the car."

Marshall took his phone off his side, and put it on his desk beside him.

"I'm sure she's already gone. I'll do a check, and then call her. I think this is going to be better than our debate on why the chicken crossed the road," Marshall said scooting closer to his computer.

"To get to the other side," Stan offered as he walked back into his office.

Mary waited about three minutes between phone calls. She was calling her witnesses back to back, and it sent to voice mail every time.

"Damn it," she cursed at the traffic ahead of her, in a hurry to get to her witnesses' home. Finally Mary called once again, but this time left a message.

"Laura, it's Mary. You need to call me right now. I need to know where you are and why you haven't been home." She closed the phone angrily and sighed again at the traffic.

"It's about time." Mary said to herself when her phone rang as she pulled into the driveway. "Where the hell are you?" she asked, answering the phone, not wasting any time to look to see who was calling.

"_Don't yell at me, I didn't piss in your cornflakes this morning__,__" _Marshall cut back.

"Marshall, please I need names, places, shoe sizes, dress sizes, boyfriends, friends, parents of the friends. Anything you can get me. I need to find my witnesses."

_"Will do. I have a question for you though. Do you know Billy Zolock?"_

"Who?"

_"That answers my question. Billy is the boyfriend of one of your witnesses."_

"Which one?"

_"Amanda__,__" _Marshall paused. _"The feisty one."_

"Oh great, what's wrong with him?"

_"Other than the fact that he is almost 22__,__ he is a known drug dealer. He has a huge record; you're probably going to need it. So I will go ahead and print it out for you." _Marshall said, secretly hoping for a little acknowledgment.

"That's just great; it'll be like talking to a brick wall. See if you can get me a number. I'm at the Grady's house now. Call you later."

Mary hung up her phone without giving Marshall a chance to respond.

About fifteen miles away from Albuquerque, Laura and Amanda loaded their bags into the car, and checked out of the hotel.

"Amanda, we have 25 missed calls from Mary," Laura said to her younger sister.

"So, what does she want?" Amanda replied rolling her eyes.

"She wants us to call her, and she's mad."

"So, what? What does she expect us to do, call her when we have no cell phone service? Just turn the phone off. We'll be home in like, twenty minutes. We can call her then."

"What if she knows our secret?"

"She doesn't know; stop being a chicken and drive."

Laura and Amanda pulled onto their street. Before Laura parked the car, she noticed Mary's car in the driveway.

"Great, it's the Marshal Service." Amanda said sarcastically.

"What do we do? What do we tell her?"

"Just forget her and drive, let's just not talk to her."

"Amanda, we'll have to go talk to her eventually. We need a story, quick." Laura said pulling into the driveway.

Amanda rolled her eyes, and looked out the window at Mary's car, and then turned back to Laura with an idea.

Okay, we'll make up something up… like, we went to Becky's house. We'll cause a scene and they'll be more confused than ever. We'll get grounded and break the rules again."

"What if they call Becky?"

"I don't know, I don't know anyone by the name of Becky. Do you?" Amanda winked at her sister and got out of the car.

"We're going to get in so much trouble for this."


	2. Definence

Mary stood with her arms crossed leaning against the wall in the living room. Excuse after excuse, and lie after lie. Mary became impatient, which happened often when having to handle these two certain witnesses. Sometimes she thought their actions were understandable, and other times they were difficult to handle.

After spending two years living with their parents on the street, or sometimes in a car, Laura and Amanda were taken into state custody and put into foster care. A few months after Laura's 14th birthday, Laura and her younger sister, Amanda, who was twelve at the time, witnessed the murder of both foster parents inside their home. After entering witness protection, both Laura and Amanda had trouble adjusting.

Adjusting varies from witness to witness. However in this certain case, Laura and Amanda had been relocated twice before Mary became their Marshal. The first relocation had loose ends, and the Marshals were afraid of a breach; the girls were quickly shipped out. The second relocation was wrecked because Christine, their Marshal at the time, was subdued to on-going pranks set off by Laura and Amanda, who only saw a weakness in her. Christine broke down, and had them transferred to Albuquerque. Mary argued with Stan for days about taking on Laura and Amanda. However, after Laura and Amanda managed to glue Eleanor's foot to the floor one day while in the conference room, Mary changed her mind.

_Why did I change mind?_ Mary thought to herself. She moved from the wall to the middle of the room.

"Look, both of your lives are in my hands. Not each others, not your teachers', your foster parents' or friends'. They are in mine; it's my job to protect you. So, when you drop off the face of the earth for three days, a radar is sent to tell me that your lives may be in jeopardy and so is my job."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Rob and Jean knew where we were; they said we could go," she said in a high tone looking at her foster parents.

"Mary, we knew nothing of it. The girls were supposedly staying across the street and were supposed to be home yesterday. They did not have our permission to go anywhere else," Jean cut in.

"They lie all the time Mary. Amanda's boyfriend, Billy, is a felon. I heard he broke into three houses last week. I honestly don't think they should be in this house any longer if we are going to be lied to," Rob said.

"Are you telling me that you don't want them here anymore?" Mary asked.

"If they are going to continue to lie to me, and my wife, then yes they will need to leave. Unless the government decides to pay us more. I just don't think that any of us are safe."

"I knew they would get their money, and then find a way to drop us," Amanda said to Laura, rolling her eyes.

"I just can't believe what I am hearing right now. Look, Laura, Amanda, don't go anywhere but home, school, bed, wash, rinse, repeat." Mary said, then immediately rethought the situation. "Actually, Rob is right. I don't think you're safe here right now. So you're under lock down from here on out until I say otherwise. Go upstairs and pack some clothes and turn in your cell phones."

Laura and Amanda didn't move, Amanda sat back into her seat, while Laura reached for the remote. Ignoring Mary and any authority figure was easy for them. Sometimes they wouldn't even have to try.

Mary stood with her arms folded. "I _know_ they aren't ignoring me." She looked back towards Jean and Rob and then back at the girls. "NOW!" she demanded.

Laura stood up quickly and grabbed Amanda by the arm. "Come on, let's just get this over with."

"Get what over with? We weren't in any kind of danger, Mary," she said, turning to Mary. "We were with Becky. They said we could go," she protested, pointing at her foster parents.

"How do I know that's true, Amanda? You keep lying to them, and right now no one here is safe. I'm not going to buy this, 'I was here, but really I was over there' game. Get your bags, turn in your phones. Now let's go!"


	3. Secrets

"This is your room. Do not leave. I will be back; I'm going to get something for you to eat. There is a car outside watching this room, so no one other than me, or my partner enters or leaves. Otherwise you can expect US Marshals on your back. Stay put; I'll be back" Mary said before closing the door.

"Wait! Can we go get ice and a soda?" Amanda asked.

"No. Keep this door locked until I get back," Mary said, then shut the door.

"Well, isn't this perfect? You should've listened to me when I told you not to go home." Amanda said and sat on the bed.

"Well if you hadn't given Mary a hard time, we wouldn't be here, Amanda!" Laura cut back quickly while digging through the bag she brought with her.

"We have to get out of here. We have to sneak out somehow."

"No, Amanda! Just stop. Play by Mary's rules and we'll get to go home."

"This is stupid. Even Mary knows that; she just wants to do this because she can."

"I don't think it's that. I think it's because we haven't told her the truth."

"When do we tell Mary the truth? I'm serious, Laura, she's just on a power trip right now."

"Yeah, and now we're going to be moved because you won't stop acting like an idiot about Billy."

"Leave him out of this. He didn't break into houses, and he isn't a felon."

"He is now, you're only 15."

"He would be if we were sleeping together, but we're not," she said snapping back at her sister.

"What if we can't go back home? What do you think will happen to us?" Laura said, a little worried.

"Stop whining. If anything, we'll be lucky to get out of that house," Amanda said, then opened the phone book and started dialing a number.

"What are you doing? We aren't supposed to use the phone."

"No. She just said we couldn't leave. Now shhh."

Laura rolled her eyes, and then reached for the remote to flip through the channels. However, once she realised who was on the other line, she let out a loud laugh.

"Yes, 24 large pepperoni pizzas, extra cheese, extra onions and 7 family size bread sticks. Oh, and I need to get six 2 liter Pepsis please. We will be paying in cash, room 456 at the Lazy Inn. My aunt is paying for it, do you want her name? Yes, Mary Sheppard. I'll need them in about 3 hours, and you don't have to call just come whenever it's ready. It's a surprise party for my mom."


	4. Trusting

"24 pizzas? Are you serious? Do I look like I could eat that many pizzas?" Mary argued with the delivery boy.

"Well, this is room 456, and I have this order to be paid in cash at room 456. It's all on the ticket ma'am." Mary looked at the ticket and then back to her witnesses, who were not paying attention, pretending they had nothing to with it.

"I did not order any of this, not even one. Look, here's 20 dollars. Take that, and the rest of this back to your boss. Tell him I said never to take an order this large without it being paid with a credit card, in person, with ID." Mary gave the delivery boy a 20 dollar bill and shut the door.

Mary turned to her witnesses and smiled. "Nice try girls, but if you're going to play pranks, try something better," Mary said with a flat tone, trying not to show any anger. Pranks, and out bursts were just attempts for attention. Mary sat down in the chair, and scrolled through her phone.

"What are you talking about? We didn't order anything." Amanda said, laughing quietly.

"This is so stupid. I want to go back home now!" Laura yelled at Mary while getting up to stand in front of her.

"Come on, Laura you and Amanda both disappear, show up three days later with some story about camping. I am sure that if your parents approved it, they wouldn't have called my boss!" Mary said standing up to put her phone in her pocket.

"You know what Mary, leave us alone!" Amanda yelled from the bed.

"Leave you alone? Ok, so if I leave you alone, both of you will go into a group home unprotected, while there are people out there who want to find you and kill you, hunt you down like a lion tracking its prey. Maybe when you're walking home from school, or when you are asleep, or maybe they'll kill you separately, kidnap one of you to make the other suffer. Really just think about it girls, do you _really_ want me to leave you alone? This is real; this is not a game. You think that the rules are tough, but it's better than being chopped up and fed to the wolves, which is what will happen the minute you lose all protection."

Amanda rolled her eyes and stood up on top of the bed; she started jumping. Laura caught on Amanda's plan, and started singing loud and off tune. Mary rolled her eyes and went outside the door, slamming it behind her.

"Nice job," Laura said laughing.

"Thanks, only the plan was to piss her off, not make her leave the room."

"I don't know, maybe we should listen to her. I saw some really strange things, and people last week. I thought they were following me home from school until I turned off on a side road."

"Did you tell Mary?"

"No way, I don't want to be in lock down forever."

After a brief breath of fresh air, Mary walked back inside the room, and closed the curtain from the window, then turned off all the lights.

"When you're under lock down, at certain times you have to sleep. Right now is one of those times."

"Why?" Amanda asked

"Because if whoever it is out there that wants you dead doesn't kill you, I probably will. Now lights out and mouths shut."

Mary looked at her phone, and then stepped outside the door.

"_Mary, this is Stan."_

"Hi, Stan."

"_I just got off the phone with the Gradys. They told me the girls were supposedly staying across the street, with a friend named Morgan__.__"_

"Tell me something that I don't know."

"_Well, did you know that Morgan stayed at a hotel few miles out of Albuquerque for three days, on the same day's the girls were gone?"_

"What about Becky?"

"_Unless Becky is 75 years old and living in the state of New York, this person Becky Howard does not exist. _

"Thanks, Stan," Mary said then hung up the phone. She heard all she needed to hear. Mary went back inside and turned on all the lights.

"Mary, what the hell?"

"That's a question for you!" Mary said letting her anger show in her voice.

"What did we do now?" Amanda asked

"That's what I want to know, Amanda. You both lied to me. I want to know where you were, and why you were there, and why you lied. The truth, and now."

Laura sat up in the bed, "Mary we didn't lie to you. We went camping."

"Ok, well don't get too comfortable here. For all I know, you two have probably said something about your past to someone, so to continue protection you will have to be moved."

"Moved? Moved where?"

"I don't know, but you will have new names, a new school, a new marshal. Both of you will have to start over."

"I don't want to start over again! I won't go; I'm not leaving Billy" Amanda yelled then got up and ran to the bathroom slamming the door.

_This is going to be a long night. _Mary thought to herself, then turned to Laura

"Laura, I want you to think about this, and I want you to listen carefully. I know being a teenager sucks, and it sucks a lot more when you have me as your Marshal. You're smart, you challenge authority, and you are not afraid to stand up for yourself. Only that is not going to keep you and your sister alive, especially if you two keep doing what you're doing. I mean if that's what you want, then so be it, otherwise just suck it up and tell the truth." Mary sat on the bed next to Laura while watching Laura's eye's fill with tears.

"Okay, fine, I'll tell you the truth. We went to a party with friends. We didn't plan on going, we actually went to Morgan's house, but then we got invited to the party. All three of us went, and we stayed at the hotel with Morgan. You can check the story with her if you don't believe me," Laura lied again

"A party? Why did you lie?" Mary asked calmly.

"Are you kidding? Like we're really going to tell you and our fake parental unit that we went to a party."

Amanda opened the bathroom door and walked back into the room. Mary and Laura watched quietly while Amanda got under the covers with headphones in her ear.

"If you plan on talking to me, you can go to hell, I'm going to sleep."

"Ok, It's late enough, how about you two get some sleep. Stay put, and call me if you need anything. I'm in a room two doors down. And Amanda, we'll talk about Billy tomorrow," Mary said while turning out the lights.


	5. Trouble in the air

The next morning, which seemed to be only a few hours after falling asleep, Mary woke up to the sound of her mother's ring tone.

"Hey, mom, can we talk a little later? I am getting ready to go into a meeting," Mary said, answering her phone.

"_Mary, I know you're really busy, but do you think you can take some time out of your busy schedule and come home. I think something is wrong with Brandi."_

"What do you mean, something is wrong with Brandi? Is she okay?"

"_No, she's fine, I mean fine health wise. She and Peter got into a fight and she won't come out of her room."_

"Okay, mom, listen, she's an adult. I'm sure she'll be fine. I mean, she has to come out at some point to use the bathroom."

"_Mary, she is your baby sister!"_

"Okay, fine, look just let me finish here."

Mary hung up the phone, got dressed and left her room. Mary walked down two doors and knocked. "It's Mary, get dressed we're leaving in five."

Mary stood in front of the door knocking. "Hey! Wake up, we're leaving"

The door opened slightly "We're getting dressed, would you just chill out?" Amanda snapped back then slammed the door.

"Wow, and I thought you were grouchy in the mornings," Marshall said walking up behind her. "Hey, did you find anything about the boyfriend yet?"

"I have the file right here in my hand," Marshall said.

"Good, I'm going to talk to Amanda today, I may need it."

"You're going to need more than a background check for help on these two," Marshall said.

"Any chance we can get the Army to help hold her down?"

"I'm pretty sure they are busy today, but my phone is on if you need me," Marshall said, once again hoping for some kind of acknowledgment from Mary.

Amanda opened the door and stepped outside next to Marshall.

"Where's Laura?" Mary asked

"I'm right here, chill," Laura said stepping outside the door.

"Where are we going?" Laura asked.

"Don't worry; you're lock down is over, as long as you don't screw this up. I think Stan has been able to talk to your foster parents so you get to stay."

"So, in other words, she's taking us to school," Amanda cut in.

"Gives you something to look forward to," Mary said.

Mary drove the girls to school. "I'll meet you two back here after school. We have to meet with your foster parents before you can go home."

"Like they care anyway," Amanda said rolling her eyes.

"I don't see why it matters anyway, we're going to do what we want."

"Hey, if you want to stay in this city and this program then do not mess up. So, if you've done something that you need to fix, fix it before school lets out," Mary said to Laura.

Laura rolled her eyes at Mary, "Whatever," and slammed the door shut and walked away.

"Hey! Easy on the door!" Mary yelled out the window to Laura, then drove home.

Mary knocked softly on Brandi's door, and then stepped inside.

"Squish, hey. What's wrong?"

Brandi sat up and looked at Mary. "Nothing, Peter and I had this huge fight."

"What happened?" Mary asked sitting on the bed next to her sister.

"I broke up with him."

"Because of the fight or did that start the fight?"

"Because of the fight, and now I just feel awful," Brandi said quietly.

"Well, you're never going to feel better if you don't get up, and get out of this room and call him."

"He won't answer the phone."

"Have you tried?" Mary asked then stood up.

"No, I called once and I hung up."

"Brandi, come on go in the kitchen, get a sandwich and call Peter." Mary walked to the door way and looked back at Brandi.

"Wait, where are you going?" Brandi said, hoping Mary would stay a little longer.

"I have to get back to work, but I should be home later on. We can talk more then."

"Promise?"

"Squish. We will talk, I promise." Mary walked back inside the room and gave Brandi a hug. "First, go call Peter."

Brandi nodded and followed Mary out of the room. Mary grabbed her car keys off the counter. "I'll see you tonight," she said to Brandi. Brandi opened her mouth to say something when Mary's phone rang. She rolled her eyes and left the room.

"Squish? What's wrong?" Mary said before answering her phone. "Hello?"

"_Hi, Mary," Eleanor said._

"Oh, it's you."

"_Don't worry Mary, I didn't call to waste my time to start a friendship with you. I just got a call from Principle Tibbons. Amanda cut class today and was sent to the office. While in the office she got in a fist fight with another student."_

"There's more isn't there?"

"_Yeah, she also left school."_

"Okay, well I'm on it. Tell Marshall to meet me at the Grady's house? I'm going to pick up Laura."


	6. Bad boyfriends

Mary, and Marshall sat on the couch in front of Laura. "Call your sister. Tell her she needs to come home now."

"I can't call her; you took our phones during your power trip last night. Remember?"

"Hey, that power trip is exactly what's keeping you alive right now," Mary cut back then looked at Marshall.

"Laura, we have reason to believe that your sister may be in danger if she is with Billy," Marshall said.

"Danger? Why?"

"He has a long background with drugs, and he's a lot older than your sister."

"He's 22 and Amanda is 15. Do the math, Laura. Amanda can easily be put into danger," Mary cut in.

"I didn't know he was dealing drugs. I don't think Amanda knows either, but he's not 22, Amanda met him at a soccer game last year. This doesn't make sense," Laura lied.

Mary leaned over and looked Laura in the eyes, "If you know a way of getting a hold of Billy, or you know where they may have gone, I need you to tell me right now."

"I can call Billy, but I need my phone back first."

Before Mary could stand up to get Laura's phone, the door slammed against the wall and Amanda walked inside with Billy laughing. Mary sat back down and motioned for Laura to go upstairs. Marshall sat up in the seat, ready in case Billy caused a scene.

"Hi, Mary," Amanda said quietly, walking in to the living room. Surprised to see both Mary and her partner, she thought something else was wrong. "What's the matter? Is Laura okay?"

"Laura's fine; she's upstairs," Marshall said.

"Oh, okay. I got sent home from school today. I got sick, I have extra homework now, and Billy was going to help me. Is there anything you need? If not, I'll be upstairs," Amanda said, turning towards the stairs.

"Who's your friend?" Marshall said, standing up.

"Oh, hey you must be Amanda's parents. I am Billy, Amanda's boyfriend," he said, pulling Amanda back by her side and kissing her neck.

"Oh, please!" Mary said standing up.

"Whoa, chill out mom we're only kissing," Billy said.

"Okay, first off, I will not chill, second, we are not Amanda's parents," Mary said stepping closer to Amanda.

Marshall stepped closer to Mary. "I think it's time for you to leave, Billy."

"Leave? Amanda wants me to stay, dontcha baby?" He looked at Amanda putting his arms around her waist.

"Amanda, we need to talk, and we need to talk alone. Tell Billy he has to go, now or he will be forced to leave."

Amanda turned around and looked at Billy. "They are not my parents, thank God. I'm really sorry, but you should go. I will call you in a little while."

Billy leaned down and kissed Amanda on the lips. "Okay, I'm still picking you up tonight right?" Amanda nodded her head 'yes' and smiled.

"If I were you, Billy, I would go home, now," Marshall said.

"Man why are you up in my face?"

"If you don't leave peacefully, right now, having someone in your face will be the last of your worries," Marshall said walking behind him, slightly pushing him out the door, and then walking back into the living room.

"Amanda, listen to me. You don't know Billy the way you think you do," Mary said talking over Amanda.

"You don't either! What gives you the right?"

"What? I am your Marshal, I am here to protect you and make sure you abide by the rules, so that way you don't slip up and get thrown in a dump somewhere. Not to mention Amanda, he's 22! Not only is that illegal that's just..." Mary stopped and let out a sigh when Amanda rolled her eyes and looked the other way. Mary turned Amanda's head to look at her. "Did you know that in his spare time, he not only tries to get into a minor's pants, he deals drugs?"

"No he doesn't!"

"Ok, you don't believe me? I have his background right there on the table in the brown folder," Mary said pointing to the table. Amanda eyed the folder and lifted her arm up to reach for the folder. "Tempting isn't it. If you know him so well, you wouldn't even want to look in that folder." Amanda cut her eyes at Mary then sat back quickly, tucking her hands under her legs.

"He's bad news, Amanda. Trust us, trust Mary, not him. You may not now, but you will realize we were right when he gets you in trouble and leaves you in trouble."

"I'm not stupid, Marshall," Amanda snapped.

"Not stupid, but young."

"Amanda, are you and Billy having sex?" Mary asked.

"Is that your business also?" Amanda said then shot back an angry look at Mary.

"Not really, but if you are, I need to know so Jean can take you to the doctor."

Amanda rolled her eyes "Whatever, are we done?"

"We would have been, if your _ex_-boyfriend hadn't of come in here and pushed the wrong buttons."

Amanda ignored Mary's answer and stood up to walk away.

"HEY!" Mary said stopping her. Amanda sat back down on the couch.

"Amanda, Principle Tibbions kicked you off the basketball team today. Why were you cutting classes, and why did you get in a fight?"

"Why does that matter? I have not broken any of your WITSEC rules, and I as long as I keep my secrets to myself, what and how I do in school should not matter to you."

"Amanda, you cannot get into trouble, you cannot get arrested. You need to understand, every choice you make, not only affects you, but your sister as well. What if you got arrested and your face happened to be caught all over TV? You would have to pack up, and move again."

"As long as you follow the rules nothing like that will happen," Marshall said, cutting in before Mary unleashed on her witness.

"What do you want me to say?" Amanda's eyes filled with tears.

"Start with the truth, and nothing but the truth," Mary said calmly, hoping to have broken the shell Amanda hid herself under.

"I cut class, because I wanted to go drink. I was mad when I got caught, and the girl Samantha started picking on me. So I punched her."

Mary thought for a little while and watched as her witness folded over in tears. "Amanda, are you pregnant?"

No answer.

"Do you miss your parents? Are you having a hard time with people at school?"

"No, I told you! Just go away now." Amanda got up and left the room.

"Did you get in much trouble?" Laura asked.

"No, not really, she won't let me see Billy anymore though. Which is so not happening," Amanda said laughing.

"Well, as long as she doesn't think we are doing what we are really doing. Did she ask about you skipping classes today?"

"Yea, I told her I wanted to go drink, and then she asked if I was pregnant," Amanda said, rolling her eyes. "Are you ready to go?" Amanda asked while finishing her hair.

"I don't think we she should go tonight."

"What? Why? We have to."

"Because, we could get caught. I mean, Mary could come by at some point."

"Come by? She's still here. Where are you two planning on going?" Mary said walking inside the bedroom.

"Ugh, don't you knock? Go away!" Amanda yelled.

"Out with a friend," Laura replied, wondering how much of the conversation Mary heard.

"You can't go anywhere, not unless I say so."

"You're not our mother," Amanda said, while grabbing her jacket.

"No, but unless you want to be kicked out of the program and live in a group home until you're 18, if you even live that long, you'll listen to me. You could be out of the program two days and then be chopped up in tiny pieces and sold at the meat market."

"OK! We get it already. Stop it, you're so annoying right now!" Laura yelled, cutting Mary off.

"Come on. We are going somewhere else tonight. Probably a safe house, you will have a different Marshal tonight, and maybe tomorrow night. Depending on what happens," Mary said while helping Amanda pack some clothes.

"I thought our lock down was over?" Laura said, slightly pleading with Mary.

"Well, it would have been, if you had a place to stay. After Amanda's little stint at school, Rob and Jean decided to cancel our meeting until either of you can go a day without pissing someone off or lying to them. Just think of it as a vacation," Mary said, then left the room.

"Bitch," Amanda said.

"I heard that!" Mary yelled.


	7. Running away

"I believe it's time for bed now ladies," the new Marshal said.

"What? It's only 7:00," Amanda argued.

"The earlier you go to bed, the easier it is for me to find you if I need to," she said, turning the lights out in the room and shutting the door.

"We have to leave, Laura," Amanda whispered.

"How do you expect us to, with that wench staying with us?"

"I'll think of something."

"I don't know, I think we should just wait it out. I don't want to get kicked out. I saw those people again today. It's a good thing that Mary showed up when she did."

"Laura, why didn't you tell Mary?"

"Because she was too busy yelling at you about Billy."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay; I don't want to tell her anyway. I don't want to be moved."

"I want to see Billy."

"Would you shut up about Billy already?"

Amanda got up and went to the bathroom. She put a little mouth wash under her eyes to make it look like she was crying. She walked quietly out into the living room.

"Um, can you please call Mary and ask her to come back?" Amanda cried to the Marshal.

"What's wrong? Did something scare you?"

"Please, just call Mary and ask her to come back."

The Marshal pulled her phone out of her pocket and called Mary. Amanda sat down in the chair and watched her walk into the kitchen to talk on the phone. A few minutes later she handed the phone to Amanda.

"_Amanda, what's wrong?"_

"I'm scared Mary, I'm really scared."

"_You're safe, no one will hurt you."_

"No. I-I think, I think that-." Amanda paused.

"_You think that what?"_

"I'm pregnant," Amanda whispered over the phone.

"_Jesus."_

"Please Mary, come get me, I'm scared."

"_I'm already on my way. Now go back in the bedroom and wait for me until I get there."_

Mary opened the door, and Amanda shot out of bed. Mary walked quietly and sat down next to her.

"Pregnant? Do you really think you are?"

Amanda shrugged then nodded her head yes.

"You do realize that if you are pregnant, Billy could get into trouble."

"Yeah, and you would make sure of it wouldn't you?" Amanda snapped.

"Look, my job is to protect you, not tell you what to do with your life. Never mind that Billy is older. He's a drug dealer for Christ's sake. Come on Amanda, you're smarter than this."

"Mary, what if I am pregnant?"

"Well, there is only one way to find out." Mary got stood up and grabbed a box from a bag she sat on the dresser.

"Here, just go in the bathroom, and follow the directions," Mary said, handing her the test. Amanda got up quietly and left the room.

"Laura?" Mary said reaching for Laura's arm, to check if Laura was awake.

"What?"

"Are you awake?"

Laura sat up and looked at Mary. "Does it look like I am?" she snapped.

"I need to know where Billy lives."

Laura rolled her eyes. "You know what? I'm really tired of hearing about Amanda and Billy." Laura lay back down and covered her face with the blankets.

"Laura, this is really getting old. I need to know these things to keep you and Amanda safe."

"No, I don't know where he lives; I know nothing about him," Laura said through the covers.

"Okay, I'm going to go check on your sister." Mary stood up and left the room. She stood beside the bathroom door waiting for Amanda to come out. After a few minutes Mary put her ear to the door, hoping to hear something related to the results of the test. Mary rolled her eyes, tired of waiting, she knocked on the door. No answer. "Amanda? Yes or No? Amanda?" Still no answer. Mary shut her eyes then opened them again. _She better not have... _She thought. "Amanda if you don't open this door, I am coming in." Mary didn't wait for an answer. She opened the bathroom door to find the window wide open. Mary looked over to the sink and found an un-opened pregnancy test with a note on top of the box.

_Really? Mary, come on, do you think I'm that stupid? So I have stuff to do, errands to run, and my boyfriend to see. I'll be back home tomorrow. Yell at me then._

_- Amanda_

"Great" Mary ran back into the room and jerked the covers off Laura's bed.

"Let's go, now!"

"Mary? You're scaring me, what's wrong?"

"Amanda left, she faked a pregnancy scare to distract me so she could leave," Mary said while rushing Laura into the living room. "She left? She's so stupid!"

"Trust me, when I find her, being stupid will be the least of her worries," Mary said while motioning Laura to sit on the couch, then went into the kitchen to find the other Marshal. "Hey! Amanda's gone; she snuck out the bathroom window. Keep a very close eye on Laura, until I call you. In fact just don't let her out of your sight," she said, then walked towards the door dialing Stan's number. "Damn it Stan answer the phone." Stan's line went to voicemail. Mary shut her phone then turned and looked back at Laura. "Do you know where she may have gone?"

"She wanted to see Billy, but I don't know where she went or if she is meeting him somewhere," Laura said.

Mary nodded. "I am going to find her, but if she calls or comes back, or you think of anything, call me the minute something happens, and don't leave. Do you understand?" Laura looked away then back to Mary and nodded.


	8. Secrets cause trouble

Amanda brushed her hair, reaching for her duffel bag out of a locker, and pulling out a red wig, the last item to her costume. She glanced at the clock then turned off the light and left the room. She walked down a short hallway which led to a closed door. Amanda knocked softly then moved to the side to wait. _I shouldn't have left Laura there, _she thought to herself. Amanda was beginning to feel guilty for leaving Laura at the safe house to deal with the aftermath of her leaving. The door opened and Amanda left her thoughts quickly when she heard a voice.

"Hey Amanda, how are you?" The man greeted her with a smile and stepped outside in the hallway, closing the door behind him.

"I am well, thanks Greg," she answered, reaching out to shake his hand.

"Where's Laura? Is she still getting dressed?"

"No, Laura's really sick; she has the flu. I guess I will have to go solo tonight." Amanda and Greg walked back down to the very end of the hall.

"Hey, that'll be alright, you've got this. Go out and do what you're good at," Greg said, giving her a pat on the back. Amanda's stomach turned; going on stage always made her nervous. It wasn't just the stage fright, it was the fact that anything could happen. Amanda walked out on the stage and took the microphone. The lights came on and the announcer said her name. Amanda closed her eyes, still extremely nervous. Amanda lifted the microphone, and opened her mouth to sing. A soft sweet voice filled the air. Amanda closed her eyes again, to pretend Laura was there beside her. Her nerves calmed and she sang another song, then smiled to the crowd and left the stage.

"Amanda!" a voice called to her. Amanda turned around and waved back.

"Hey, Billy!" She said, running back to greet him.

"You were so great," Billy said, kissing her on the forehead.

"Thanks. Do you want to go get something to eat and then maybe take me home afterwards? Laura is really sick, I feel bad for leaving her."

"That's fine. How about I meet you back at the truck?"

"All I have to do is get my bags and change real quick. It shouldn't take long," she said to Billy before he turned to walk back down the hallway to go outside.

Amanda opened the door to the changing room and grabbed her bag.

Before she could turn back around, the lights cut out and a hand covered Amanda's mouth.

"If you scream, I will gut you and your boyfriend, and then I will find your sister and rip her head into pieces. Understand?"

Amanda nodded.

Marshall walked in the conference room, pulling out a chair and sitting down in front of Laura.

"What are you doing here? Did she send you to take my bathroom privileges away, too?" Laura snapped.

"No, but almost. I was able to convince her that having a witness test their bladder would not be a great idea for the chair she occasionally sits in."

Laura rolled her eyes, and looked away. "What do you want?" She asked while staring at the floor.

"To find your sister."

"I don't know where she is."

"Did you know that she was planning to leave last night?"

"No, if I did I would have gone with her."

"Amanda could be in danger."

"No, she's probably with Billy..." Before Laura could finish, Mary stormed inside the room, Laura's cellphone in hand.

"Laura, you need to check your voice mail," Mary said, sliding the phone down the table.

Laura opened her phone, and dialed her voice-mail.

"Put it on speaker," Mary said as she unintentionally began to pace the floor.

"_Laura, its Billy. Amanda was supposed to meet me about two hours ago in the club parking lot. She never showed up; her phone is off and everyone here at the club is gone. I just saw her, for about 5 minutes. She was going to go change, then meet me outside. She never came. Do you think she wanted to break up with me or something? She's been acting really strange since that day I picked her up from school, and that bitchy blonde lady made me leave. Look just call me please, I love Amanda. I don't want to lose her."_

"It's a ploy; Amanda's with him. I want to know where Billy is. So call and get an address, whatever you have to do. When we find Amanda, the three of us will be making some serious rules. Otherwise, you two will be out of the program. Got it?" Mary said, and then walked to the door.

I'm going to get coffee, do you want some?" Mary asked Marshall

"Nah, that's alright."

"A little thank you every now and then would be nice though," Marshall mumbled, but loud enough so Mary would hear him.

"What?

"Oh, nothing."

"Do you really think that I don't appreciate you?"

"No, you don't."

"Jesus, Marshall, you have got to be kidding me."

"I'm not, and you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"Do you really want to argue while your witness is missing?"

"I like arguing with my partner who thinks I don't appreciate him, when I do."

"Oh my goodness! Would you just tell him thank you and shut up already!" Laura interrupted.

Mary looked down at the floor then back at Marshall.

"Thanks for all your help."

Marshall nodded, and Mary left the room. Laura opened her phone and dialed Billy's number. Before she could place the call, a text message came through from a number that she did not know.

_Tell Mary if she wants to see her witness ever again, I want $50,000. She has two days._

Laura felt her stomach drop to the floor. She threw her phone to Marshall, who tapped on the glass to get Mary's attention after reading the message himself. Mary ran back inside of the room, and read the text message.

"What the hell? Marshall…"

"Already on it," Marshall said before she could finish her sentence, standing up in a hurry and dialing numbers on his phone.

"Thanks," Mary said, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

Laura watched as Mary and Marshall paced the floor on their phones. They were talking very fast, which not only confused Laura, it scared her. Marshall stood in the doorway after he noticed Stan walking back to his office. "Stan, we have a problem." Marshall said motioning for him to come closer.

"What's going on?" Laura asked repeatedly, gradually getting louder until Eleanor came into the room and took Laura out to calm her down.


	9. More lies

Amanda woke up from a slight daze. She had been awake all night; then again it was kind of hard to sleep when you were tied to a chair. She moved to the side, then to the other side to see if there was a way to free herself. She finally managed to scoot her chair over towards the door. That would be the same time that her kidnapper happened to open the door.

"Are you in a hurry to leave so soon? Why don't you stick around for a little while," the woman said, pushing Amanda and the chair back to the other side of the room.

"Who are you?" Amanda whispered.

"It's too soon to tell. Okay. Let's make a phone call."

"To 911?"

"Close, but you don't get a prize. We are going to call… Mary Sheppard."

"How do you know about Mary?"

"I know Mary. Now look, what you are going to do is call, stay on the phone long enough for her to trace the call."

"It's almost like you want to get caught."

"I want her to come here and drop my money off. They will find you elsewhere."

"_Elsewhere_ as in you're going to kill me?"

"Don't panic; I won't kill you yet."

"Then I refuse."

"Excuse me?"

"I refuse to trick Mary into coming to an empty building to rescue me, when I am dead, so you can get away. Uhmm, move on to door number two."

"Wow, you are a little smart ass huh? How about I kill you now, and move on."

"Go ahead. You're going to, anyway. Might as well get it over with."

"Just make the phone call."

"I can't! My hands are tied, and I don't have a phone! Besides, I am not calling anyone until you give me the 411."

"The 411?"

"Yeah, like why you want Mary's money, and who you are, and why you are doing this."

"My name is Paula, the rest is private. One thing, if you mention my name to Mary on the phone, I will slit your throat and mail your body parts to your sister."

"I won't tell her. I'm kind of enjoying the vacation."

"Don't try and side with me kid; it won't work."

Paula un-tied Amanda's hands, and gave her the phone.

"Tell her you are alive, please come find you, and bring the money or you will die."

Amanda nodded and dialed Mary's number.

"_It's Mary."_

"Mary, it's Amanda…"

"_Amanda… Where are you? Do you know what's going on?"_

"Hey wait, look I'm okay; I'm going on vacation in Hawaii."

"_What? Hawaii?"_

"I'm kidding. I'm somewhere with someone I don't know that wants to chop my body into pieces and mail them to the citizens of the United States. Please come find me. Oh and bring the money, or else, I become chopped meat."

"_Amanda do you know where you are?"_

Paula took the phone from Amanda and put a cloth over the speaker to muffle her voice. "Bring me the money yourself, we will meet in public, across the street from the court house. I know that you're probably going to have your US Marshal pals with you. I will not be armed, and I will not be bringing your witness. You get her location when I get my money."

"_Who is this? What is your name?"_

"No worries Mary, you will understand soon…"

Mary threw her phone against the table then walked out of the room to find Laura and Eleanor sitting at Mary's desk. "I warned you, Laura, I warned you both. Your sister has been kidnapped," Mary said while Eleanor moved out of the chair so Mary could talk to her witness.

"Mary, I swear, we have not done anything wrong. I promise no one knows anything."

"What club?"

"What do you mean?" Laura asked hoping to reverse the question.

"What club did Billy meet Amanda at?"

"Oh, um… I don't know. Probably the one down town. I don't know where she goes at night," she lied.

"Laura, this is very important that you are honest right now. Have you seen anything strange lately?"

"No. Well, yeah I have. The other day I saw someone follow us. I've never seen them before and I heard strange noises outside my bedroom window. Like someone was there."

"Okay, just take a deep breath, and try to stay calm. I just want you know, that we are going to find Amanda. Don't worry," Mary said, then patted Laura on the head and walked back into the briefing room


	10. Mind games

Amanda watched Paula drop the cell phone down on a box, then write something down on paper. Amanda scoped the room for ways to escape, but the only thing holding her back was her hands tied to the back of the chair.

Paula was not scary, and in some way seemed nice. Amanda sensed a weakness and then decided to try and push some of Paula's buttons.

"So do you have kids?" Amanda asked hoping to get some kind of control over her emotions.

Paula stopped writing and looked up at Amanda.

"Where are they?" Amanda asked.

Paula didn't answer; she went back to writing.

"They got hurt didn't they? Otherwise you wouldn't be so angry, and if my sister or I didn't remind you of them, you wouldn't have kidnapped me. Only thing I can't figure out is how you know Mary..."

Paula walked towards Amanda who scooted the chair in front of the cell phone.

"Wait, no your husband…"

"I told you, that stuff was private," Paula said, showing a little emotion in her voice.

Amanda gave a half-hearted smile. She had found Paula's weakness.

"You're in some kind of trouble, aren't you?"

Paula turned around and faced the wall, trying to ignore Amanda.

"Look, I'll leave you alone, obviously whatever you're deal is, it's hurting you. So, if you promise to get me some food, I'll shut up," Amanda said reaching for the phone behind her, trying not to cause much of a scene, at least until she had the phone in her hands. A few minutes later, Paula calmed down and turned back to Amanda.

"I will go get you food. If you bring up my life ever again, I will kill you."  
>Before Paula walked any closer Amanda finally got the phone and hid it up her sleeves of her shirt.<p>

"I will be back. No tricks. Or I will find your sister and kill her."

"I got your point. Enough with the threats already," Amanda snapped back.

With that, Paula left the room and locked the door behind her, leaving Amanda tied to the chair with no way to use the cell phone.

Amanda kicked off her shoes and dropped the cell phone on the floor. Flipping the phone upright, she managed to dial 911.

"_911 what is your emergency?"_

"Look, I can't hear you. I've been kidnapped and I cannot reach the phone to put it on speaker. My name is Amanda, I need you to call US Marshall Mary Sheppard, tell her that the kidnapper is a lady named Paula, and I am in a building somewhere close to where she works. Get a trace on this number quickly, hang up, then call Mary. Hurry and find me, because she will see that I have made a call and she will kill me."

Amanda could hear muffled talking in the background. She watched the screen on the phone light up when the call ended. Knowing that she did not have long and hoping that her call would make it to Mary, Amanda had to hide the phone. Instead of kicking it under something or in the corner, she stood up as much as she could and sat the leg of the chair on the phone, cracking the screen.+

Laura got up from her chair and walked quietly to Mary's desk.

"Hey, is it okay if I go get a sandwich out of the break room and hang out there for a little while? I'm starving and I'm really bored. I need to get my mind off Amanda somehow."

Mary looked up at Laura. She didn't trust her, even though she understood that she needed some time alone to rest. "No offense, but you two are not the most trustworthy when it comes to leaving you alone."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Oh that is so stupid!" She yelled so loud that Stan came out of his office.

"Hey, you know what, it's time to drop the attitude. If you're hungry get yourself a sandwich, I am sorry that you are so bored and that this is an inconvenience for you. However if you want to see your sister again, it's necessary, so grab a pen and paper, I'm sure you have homework to do," Mary snapped back.

Before Laura could defend herself Mary picked up her desk phone on its first ring.

"This is Mary."

"_Mary it's Bobby. Just got a call, seems like your girl found a way to call 911."_

"Great! Where do we meet?" Mary asked while motioning Stan and Marshall over.

"_We traced where she called from 123 Horrid Sreet. Amanda told the 911 operator that the kidnapper's name was Paula."_

"That's not too far from here at all. Actually, I think I can see the building from the office. That's so weird." Mary stood up and went outside on the balcony and looked across the street. "Thanks, Bobby. Give me 15 minutes to get the details ready. I'll call you."

Mary hung up the phone, went back inside, and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair.

"Stan, get the details ready, and Eleanor do you mind running the name Paula and…" Mary stopped talking when Laura tapped her on the shoulder. In all the commotion Mary forgot about Laura.

"What about me?" Laura asked sarcastically.

"Look, just stay here. Go in the break room and stay there until we come back, do you understand?" Mary asked while walking behind Laura. She turned on the TV, and handed Laura the remote. "Do not leave this room until someone comes to get you."

Laura rolled her eyes and flopped down in a chair.

Mary walked back to Eleanor. "Eleanor, please?" Mary asked pointing to the break room.

"It's no problem Mary." Mary nodded then pushed through the doors with Marshall following behind her.


	11. The rescue

Paula opened the door and tossed a sandwich on a box near Amanda.

"I can't reach that, stupid, untie me."

Paula untied Amanda's hands and threw the sandwich to her.

"Thanks," Amanda said, hoping to dig a little more in Paula's soft spot.

"So, did you get yourself a sandwich?"

"I already ate," Paula said, looking out the window.

"Oh, so... how old are your kids?"

Paula turned around and slapped Amanda in the face.

In return, Amanda spit her food out on Paula.

Paula spun around to grab Amanda's hands to tie her to the chair again, but Amanda moved them back and forth. Finally, Paula tipped the chair over on the side. When she did, she noticed Amanda had taken off her shoes.

"Where are your shoes?"

"I took them off. It got really hot."

Paula tied Amanda's hands to the chair again, and left her chair lying on its side.

"I'm going to make a phone call to your inspector. Maybe she has the money ready." Paula looked around the room, finally spotting the phone. As she walked closer, she noticed the screen was broken.

"Okay, I have had enough." Paula jerked the chair upright and untied Amanda. She pulled her up by her hair and dragged her to the window.

"You see that building over there? That is where Mary is sitting at a desk wondering why I haven't called with a location. The street below is where they find your dead body," Paula said in a scary voice, then threw Amanda across the room.

Amanda curled up against the wall and cried, "Please don't hurt me I'm sorry." Paula laughed, walking closer to Amanda.

The door flew open. "US Marshals freeze!" Marshal said.

Paula jumped back and ran to the other side of the room.

"No it's not supposed to happen this way!" She screamed when Mary stepped in front of her.

"Paula Stevenson? What the hell?"

"I wanted revenge."

"Revenge for what? I haven't done anything to you," Mary said defensively, looking over the room to spot her witness.

"If you had protected my family better, my husband wouldn't have been shot," Paula cried while her hands were pulled behind her and cuffed.

Mary pushed Paula against the wall. "Listen you little bimbo, I did my job, and I am damn good at it. So I will not allow you to stand here and accuse me of your own faults. Maybe if your husband had followed the rules and not put his family in jeopardy by continuing to do the things that put your family in witness protection, he wouldn't have been shot," Mary said then turned around and walked to where Amanda sat against the wall, looking at the floor.

"Hey," Mary said, putting her hand on Amanda's shoulder. "You did good. I heard something through the door. It must have been really scary for you."

"Whatever, can we leave now?"

"Yeah," Mary said looking down at her phone when it started ringing.

"It's Mary."

"_Mary, it's Eleanor."_

"I don't like that tone, what is wrong?"

"_Laura left."_

"What? Damn it, Eleanor! I give you a simple task and you can't even handle that?"

"_Mary, you and I both know that if Laura wants to leave she will leave."_

"Did she glue you to the floor again?"

"_No, she glued my hand to the bathroom door and Stan's to his desk."_

"She's getting good. Thanks, Eleanor." Mary stood Amanda up and walked towards the door when Marshall stepped in front of her.

"Come on we have to go find Laura."

"No, Laura was just found about five minutes ago, but there is a problem," Marshall said.

"What? What now?"

Marshall grabbed Mary by the arm and pulled her to the side.

"Bobby picked her up on his way here; she was hitchhiking trying to find us. Bobby recognized her and picked her up. There was a slight fight. Bobby is okay, but he's bruised a little."

"A fight?"

"Laura broke his nose."

"Damn, I guess I may have underestimated her."


	12. Mary still doesn't know the real secret

Mary sat down in a chair in front of her witnesses. After unleashing a load of lectures and questions, Mary calmed down enough to explain once again how important it was that WITSEC rules not be broken.

"I know that you don't want to, but you're going to have to be moved again. End of discussion."

Mary left the room quietly and walked out to her desk and sat down.

"How goes it?" Marshal asked.

"Okay, I guess. Amanda hates the fact she has to leave her drug dealing boyfriend."

"I'm sure there's plenty more of those fish in the sea."

"We hide half of them." Mary laughed then looked back to her witnesses. "I think they'll be okay though."

"I just wonder if moving them is a good idea."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think anyone else could protect those two. It's like how I don't think I could work with any other partner other than you."

"What are you saying, doofus? Keep them here?"

"What I am saying is, I think when they get to their new city they will wreak havoc and will blow their cover, on purpose."

"Do you know something I don't?"

"I know quite a few things, see when you're nice to certain witnesses they talk."

"So… they have it planned?"

"They had it planned when they moved here, but you're too good at your job."

"Marshall, I'm sorry I don't thank you enough. I sorry that you feel like I don't appreciate you 'cause I do, really."

Mary stood up and passed a card to Marshall. "Thanks," she said, before walking back into the conference room.

Marshall opened the card.

"_You're the Pea to my pod. My only friend, thank you._

_Love, Mary."_

"That's awkward," Marshall said to himself. Then, he looked at Mary through glass, she glanced back and smiled.

Of all the things that Marshall secretly hoped for, he wanted most for Mary to know and feel the way he felt for her. Only Mary could never find out; it would change everything. Just like any decision made for anyone could either send you off the deep end or change things drastically that you leave everything behind to start over. Marshall stared at the word love, then placed the card back in the envelope, and put it in his desk.

"Ah, Marshall. I just got word from the Gradys. Laura and Amanda are welcome to stay with them." Stan said catching Marshall as he walking towards the confrence room with Mary.

"Providing Amanda does not bring her boyfriend back to the house." Marshall cut in.

"I was on my way to tell Mary, but if you don't mind. I have somethings to care of." Stan said picking up a box off Mary's desk.

"What kind of things do you need to take care of with a box?"

"It's for Bobby D. Mary picked it up for him. Its the least we could do."

"I would ask what she got him, but knowing Mary it's probably some gauze and aspirin with a get well soon card made out of a doughnut box." Marshall said laughing a little, then walked away to the conference room.

Stan shook the box close to his ears to see if something rattled, he laughed quietly then watched the Marshals through the glass for a moment in thought. Then smiled and left the office.

The end.


End file.
